The Red Sox' worst season since 1966 will net the team the No. 7 overall pick in the 2013 draft. The Sox' 69-93 record was tied for the sixth-worst in baseball with the Marlins. However, because Miami had a worse record than the Sox in 2011, they won the tiebreaker for the better pick.
The only other time that the team had a top 10 pick since 1968 was in 1993, when the team also had the No. 7 pick, a selection used to tab outfielder Trot Nixon. The No. 7 spot in the draft has produced a number of stars, including some Hall of Fame-caliber players, including: Ray Fosse (two-time All-Star), Frank Thomas (five-time All-Star, two-time MVP), Prince Fielder (four-time All-Star), Troy Tulowitzki (two-time All-Star) and Clayton Kershaw (two-time All-Star and 2011 NL Cy Young winner).
Because the Sox have a top 10 pick, their first-round selection is also protected, meaning they would not sacrifice it if they sign a free agent who receives a qualifying offer (one year deal in the $13 million vicinity) from a team with whom he spent all of 2012. Instead, the team would part with its second-round selection if it signed such a free agent, something with considerable implications for the team's offseason [1].
For a complete list of players taken with the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, click here [2]. For complete Red Sox coverage, visit weei.com/redsox [3].
Links:
[1] http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/alex-speier/2012/09/21/must-lose-situation-how-losing-now-could-help-
[2] http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?overall_pick=7&draft_type=junreg&
[3] http://www.weei.com/redsox
[4] http://www.weei.com/category/boston/red-sox